"here, let me give you a gift." riku said, smiling gently. "a gift-?!" yashiro's words died in her throat as riku pressed a light kiss to her cheek.
yashiro blushed a bright red as she remembered the kiss on the cheek that riku had given to her. "nene-chan! your cheeks are all red!" aoi said, putting a hand on her own cheek.
"ah! is it because of a boy?" yashiro looked away shyly. "well, kind of." she said, scratching her cheek lightly. yashiro explained everything to aoi. "i think he might like you nene-chan!" aoi said.
"maybe he might confess to you at the confession tree!" she said, pointing to the big willow tree outside their classroom. rika was bored wandering the hallways and had decided to check up on yashiro.
"yashiro!" rika said with a soft smile. "oh! rika-chan! hanako-kun told me to tell you to meet him at that tree after the classes are done." yashiro said. "t-the confession tree?!" rika asked.
"w-why would he suddenly want to meet there?!" the ghost girl asked, her face becoming bright red. "...rika-chan, do you like hanako-kun?" yashiro asked, making rika sputter nervously.
"w-well-! i- uhm! i-its just-!" she stuttered. "i-i mean i've liked him since we were alive!" rika said. "oh! how cute!" yashiro said with a bright smile. "he was very different than he was before."
rika had a gentle smile on her face. "he wasn't always like this, but he was always the easiest to get flustered between us." she said with a small giggle. "maybe he might confess to you today!" yashiro said.
rika's yellow eye widened as a soft blush adorned her cheeks. "i mean, he's super protective of you and he's very clingy and touchy!" yashiro said. the ghost girl smiled and shyly averted her gaze.
"i think that'll be something... we almost did confess to each other one time but it was interrupted." rika said, fiddling with the white string on her obi. "i've liked him even when we were alive."
yashiro's red eyes widened in fascination. "maybe this is my chance." she heard the ghost girl whisper as she stared at the confession tree.
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yashiro had followed rika to the confession tree for support, stopping at the gardens to hopefully listen in on their confession. rika saw hanako waiting for her at the confession tree.
he stared at the leaves flying by. their bodies were transparent in the sunlight. "amane..." rika said, catching the attention of the ghost boy. hanako turned around and gently smiled at her.
"there you are." he said and the wind picked up, blowing their hair and rika's skirt in the direction it was blowing. "then..." he started, and gently grabbed rika's gloved hands.
"i know this is sudden but..." rika's ghost heart beated out of her ghostly chest. yashiro squealed internally at the sight of both of her ghost friends preparing to confess.
"t-this is too fast...!" rika stuttered, her face becoming red. "ran..." hanako started, as the leaves picked up. "ran... i love you! please go out with me!" he said, a serious look on his face.
rika smiled and teared up. 'ah... finally... i can tell him how i really feel!' she thought. "nono-chan, what are you doing? hurry up and say 'no'!" hanako whispered. "h-huh? no?" rika asked, confused.
the kodama had attacked the two of them, and rika dodged as hanako went to attack. it ended up shrinking down to the size of a broccoli. "so! what do you think the new rumor should be?" hanako asked.
"we still have to figure out one for the misaki stairs so yashiro can go an change them!" he said. rika stayed silent as she wrung her hands in her pleated skirt. hanako looked up at her. "ran?" he asked.
"ran?" he tried again. "oh! i know!" he said, putting both hands on her shoulders. "you're disappointed it wasn't a real confession, aren't you?" hanako asked, giving a little chuckle.
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rika's yellow eye tears up as she squeezed the fabric of her skirt, catching hanako by surprise. "amane..." she starts. "you jerk!" she yells, punching the ghost boy's chest with all of her strength as she cries.
yashiro runs up to the two ghosts from her hiding spot and goes to comfort her crying ghost friend. "rika-chan!" she yells, pulling the crying ghost girl in for a hug. "y-yashiro?!" hanako said, surprised.
"i'm so embarrassed! i'm so stupid!" rika said, covering her crying face with her gakuran sleeves as yashiro rubbed her back soothingly. the daikon girl glared at hanako, causing him to flinch.
"and here i thought... after all these years..." rika sniffled. "i'm going to my boundary!" she said as she and yashiro began walking back to the school. "wait!" hanako called out. "um..."
he grabbed rika's wrist, causing both girls to look back at him. he had taken his hat off and he had a penitent expression on his face. "i'm sorry.." he said softly and looked away.
hanako felt an undescribable feeling in his chest. "i didn't mean to make you cry..." he said. rika's good eye widened. 'i realize... i called them my friends... but i know nothing about them...' yashiro thought.
'not about the crime hanako commited. or how they'd all died. or rika-chan and hanako-kun's relationship. or even their real names...' yashiro watched as hanako pulled rika in for a back hug.
"stay with me until you stop crying and let yashiro go home." he said, petting rika's head softly. 'for the first time since i've met them, i want to get to know them better.' yashiro thought, as rika turned to hug hanako.
"...i'll get going then." yashiro said, giving one last pat to rika's back before leaving. rika closed her eye and let hanako pet her head as she buried her face into the ghost boy's shoulder.
'i really didn't mean to make you cry ran...' hanako thought, looking down at rika. 'i really do love you...'
